Friends of the Cam is one of four groups working on the “Meeting of Rivers” programme. Its inaugural workshop was co-hosted by the Friends of the Cam on the 19th and 20th of September at St Lukes Church, Cambridge. A report was published in the Cambridge Independent here.
A planning Inquiry Inspector overrode the unanimous decision of Cambridge City Council and the objections of thousands of residents to allow Queens’ College to develop in the garden of Owlstone Croft, up to the boundary of Paradise Nature Reserve. Friends of Paradise has applied to challenge this decision through a judicial review. Unfortunately, the Judge has refused Friends of Paradise a hearing for a Judicial Review.
Although the Government approved a plan to move Anglian Water's sewage plant to Green Belt on the outskirts of Cambridge, overriding the clear recommendation from the Government’s own independent planning inspectors that the project should not be given consent, it has since withdrawn the promise of £277 million pounds to effect the move, citing spiralling costs. Anglian Water is now refusing permission for developments in Cambridge, even though the relocated site was not designed to provide extra capacity.
Friends of the Cam was delighted to host Tony Eva's award winning new film, 'Pure Clean Water', in December. The film demonstrates how the Cam and its tributaries - a rare chalk stream system - have been exploited to the brink of extinction. The film played to a full house of people who are increasingly concerned about the impact of growth on the river system, as well as on green belt land, farming and people's wellbeing in general.
Professor Alejandra Mancilla talked to a group hosted by Friends of the Cam on the need for rights for Antarctica to be declared. The talk was reported in the Cambridge Independent, and the slides are available at the end of this summary. She is a member of a campaigning collective who are arguing for Antarctic Rights, launched on World Antarctic Day, December 1st, 2023.
Charlie Gardner, West Norfolk based conservation scientist, climate communicator and activist, set off from Jesus Green on Sunday September 24th on a 180 mile walk to raise awareness of global heating and sea level rise. His route took him entirely through land which is threatened by predicted sea level rise within decades. Friends of the Cam joined Charlie for the first leg of his walk.
Recording of Leana Hosea's talk can be found here.
Swedish climate academic Martin Hultman was in Cambridge on Saturday 30th September and Sunday 1st October, during which time we had an informal discussion and a walk along the river Cam. Martin was also interviewed by the Cambridge Independent in a piece: Masculinity 'weaponised' by the far right says Swedish academic ahead of Cambridge talk.
Friends of the Cam campaign for an unpolluted river, against over-abstraction from it, and the unsustainable growth in buildings and infrastructure that impact on both. Designating short stretches of rivers may lead to some very limited local improvement of water quality, at the expense of water quality elsewhere. Friends of the Cam opposed the DBA application in the consultation for reasons given below.